1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a blind spot warning system and method, and in particular, to a blind spot warning system and method for sensing a vehicle located in a blind spot formed at a posterolateral area of a host vehicle and announcing it in advance.
2. Description of Related Art
A blind spot warning system (“BSW system”) refers to a system that senses a target vehicle that approaches a side blind spot or a rear blind spot of a host vehicle and announces it in advance. Most blind spot warning systems utilize an ultrasonic sensor or laser sensor for sensing objects around the host vehicle. An example of such blind spot warning systems is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1998-058678 (Oct. 7, 1998).
Due to the characteristics of the ultrasonic sensor or the laser sensor, the conventional blind spot warning system cannot recognize the lines on the road. That is, since the conventional blind spot warning system measures the distance between the host vehicle and the target vehicle on the basis of a pre-set lane width, this blind spot warning system is disadvantageous in that the rate of occurrence of malfunctions is high and in that the reliability of the warning system is deteriorated under the condition where a lane width is changed.
According to the regulations of the Road Traffic Act in Korea, in practice, the line-to-line space, i.e., the lane width, is prescribed at roughly 3 meters or more, or 275 centimeters or more when a left turn only lane is provided. Thus, the lane width is variously determined according to the road environment, such as the total width of the road and similar factors. For example, public roads or highways have various lane widths, among them widths of approximately 275 centimeters, approximately 300 centimeters, approximately 350 centimeters and approximately 400 centimeters. Accordingly, since the conventional blind spot warning system mounted in the host vehicle judges whether the target vehicle is located in the side region or rear region of the host vehicle on the basis of a fixed lane width that has been pre-set, target vehicle recognition errors frequently cause the blind spot warning system to malfunction.